Author: staff
The DANA weather system Storm Adam began to ease on Tuesday after leaving at least five people dead and causing severe flooding in eastern Spain. In the Valencia region, the Civil Guard evacuated more than 2,100 people and rescued almost 500 since the start of the storm, according to the latest update released by the force. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will visit Valencia on Tuesday to see the impact of the storm. The visit is scheduled for around 12:30, after which the premier is expected to speak to the media. The Valencian town of Oliva is among the worst…
Uzbekistan has announced 54 agreements and proposed projects with American partners worth nearly $12bn (€10.7bn), following high-level meetings in Samarkand attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Rubio met President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Monday, with the two discussing trade, energy, critical minerals, aviation and technology. The two countries are seeking to expand their strategic partnership through private investment and joint industrial projects. According to the Uzbek presidency, bilateral trade has increased by 35% since the beginning of the year, although it did not specify the comparison period. New priorities for US investment Senior officials and American business representatives attended…
US special envoy Steve Witkoff will hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo on Tuesday, hosted by Norway and Finland as part of renewed diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. From Norway Witkoff is expected to travel to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to media reports. The Oslo meeting brings together Zelenskyy, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, alongside Witkoff, with Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner joining remotely. In a statement on Tuesday Støre confirmed that Kyiv had specifically requested the participation of the two American envoys,…
Japan’s H3 rocket launched the MMX probe on Tuesday, starting a three-year mission to collect samples from Phobos and study the origins of the Solar System. I removed ‘Mars’s moon’ to make room, since ‘Phobos’ is already in the text. If you prefer to keep ‘Mars’s moon’, here is a shorter alternative that still fits: Japan’s H3 rocket launched the MMX probe on Tuesday, starting a three-year mission to sample Mars’s moon Phobos and explore the Solar System’s origins.
Published on 20/10/2026 – 11:04 GMT+2 Getting a loan to buy a house in Germany now costs more than at any time since the 2009 financial crisis, as worries that the Iran war will keep inflation high and drive up interest rates, Munich-based mortgage broker Interhyp said. The typical rate on a ten-year loan is now close to 4.5% which is above the previous peak of just over 4.4% reached at the end of 2023, according to the broker. The average rate on ten-year mortgages has climbed from 3.9% as recently as May, Interhyp CEO Jörg Utecht stated, citing data.…
Negotiations are at an advanced stage on a deal worth around €150 million between Israeli defence companies Israel Shipyards and Rafael and the Republic of Cyprus, for the supply of naval vessels equipped with advanced weapons systems, according to a report in the Israeli financial newspaper Calcalist. The agreement is expected to be signed in the coming weeks, once the terms have been finalised between the defence ministries of Israel and Cyprus. The agreement currently taking shape is expected to give a substantial boost to defence cooperation between Israel and Cyprus, while at the same time expanding the capabilities of…
The Ukrainian army has released footage showing what it says is the first evacuation of a wounded soldier from the front line using an aerial drone. According to the drone unit of the 92nd Assault Brigade, the soldier was injured in a position where a conventional evacuation was impossible because of mines and Russian drone activity. The footage shows soldiers monitoring the operation from a control room as the wounded serviceman attaches himself to the drone and is lifted away from the danger zone. The drone is then seen carrying the soldier to a landing point, where he is brought…
Oil prices continued to trade around a five-month high on Tuesday morning, as traders weighed the risk of further Iranian attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, amid relatively strong flows of crude oil from the Persian Gulf. International benchmark Brent crude futures traded at around $110 a barrel ahead of the European markets opening, while US benchmark WTI crude traded above $104 a barrel for delivery next month. According to ING’s commodities strategists, the high prices despite strong flows “suggest the market is pricing in a significant risk premium, given the situation’s volatility”. There is no sign for now that…
When young people challenge the establishment, they often adopt fictional works or popular culture iconography in their protests, with some images and symbols becoming unlikely rallying cries. Amid the banners, placards and slogans seen on the streets of France, a black flag with a smiling skull wearing a straw hat frequently pops up. The pirate emblem immediately speaks to fans of the manga series One Piece: it’s the “Jolly Roger”, one of the most recognizable logos in pop culture. The iconography was already present during last year’s September protests in France, and it has re-emerged during the ongoing student protests…
John Healey’s first budget is shrouded in secrecy so how come we know he won’t be touching capital gains tax? Sam Coates and Anne McElvoy ponder whether the Treasury is worried about growth and discuss how Kemi Badenoch is trying to get the Conservatives on an economic front foot. Plus, they pull apart the weekly polling numbers, and Sam’s got a story about the wait times for parents of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) children.